


Lost and Regained Memories

by AiaLaau



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Fan Games, Pokemon Insurgence (fan game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Minor Character Death, Sacrifice, mute character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-23 04:24:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23272261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AiaLaau/pseuds/AiaLaau
Summary: They have no idea where they are, how they got there, or why these freaky Darkrai-looking creeps want them dead. All they do know is that their name is Sel, Mew is a friend, and that they, under no circumstances, should EVER try to remove the metal cast covering their left arm (doesn't help that they don't know why).
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Lost and Regained Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Pokemon Insurgence doesn't get enough love, so I'm writing this for it. The protagonist is gender neutral and I'm taking full liberties on the fact we only ever see the father. I'm gonna be messing with the canon a bit, playing fast and loose on the locations of some Pokemon. All credit for the inspiration goes to the developers of this amazing game (more info here- https://p-insurgence.com ).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sel wakes up in an underground base and gains an ally.

Quite, empty, and alone. That was the best way to describe the situation at the moment. Will, maybe not the best. There was still this clawing sensation at the edge of their senses, like it was trying to find something. But it wasn't that unpleasant. It felt like they were urging them just to relax, to give in. They were just so tried, maybe they should just rest.

_Hello?_

That caught their attention; their will to stay aware suddenly returning.

_Can you hear me?_

_Yes. I can._

_Oh, thank Arceus! You're not gone yet._

_Wait, not gone?_

_There's no time to explain. It'll be back any moment._

_What?_

_Listen. There isn't much time. If you care about your memories at all, you have to hold on to what you can._

_What are you talking about?_

_Just please! You at least remember your name, right?_

_My name? It's. . ._

They knew the answer. Who wouldn't know their own name? But it was fuzzy; the clawing sensation trying to break it down further, but it wasn't enough.

_Sel. My name... is Sel._

_Okay, good. Hold onto that. What else do you know?_

_I. . ._

Their mind felt like a barren forest. Only tiny fragments were still clear. Slowly, a few pieces pulled together.

_Y̵̭͝o̵̞͝u̵̬̒ ̵̞͗h̵̝͠ȁ̴͎v̵̦̈́ȩ̶̈ ̵̡̑t̸̛̤ọ̶̕ ̶̬́k̶̲͛e̸͙̊e̴͍͝p̸̰̓ ̵̫́t̵̫̐h̶̥͂i̷͕͝ś̸̭ ̶̲̀ö̶̰́n̸͓̋.̸̛̹ ̶̨̿F̸̱͌o̷̤̔r̵̐͜ ̴͎̾ẙ̴̹o̵͖̓ǔ̷̬r̷̨̐ ̸͓̍o̴̬͒w̶̤̉n̶̪̚ ̴̱͌s̸̨̋a̸̠̿ḟ̴̰e̴͖̒t̵̽͜y̴̠̋_

_My left arm...It-I can be dangerous._

_Oh..._

The clawing presence grew closer, and more malicious. The quiet urge to give in was now a demand.

_Oh no! It's back! Listen to me, Sel. You have to hold on. Someone is on their way to help you._

_Who?_

_Someone you can trust. Now please, WAKE UP!_

Suddenly, they were falling and something presented itself to their mind's eye; a pair of blood red eyes and a malicious, toothy grin.

* * *

Deep within an underground base in the heart of Shade Forest, a child, no older than 12 lay bound to a bed. Their pale face was twisted weakly in fear and discomfort, while their short, jet black hair was left untouched in its tangled and matted state. Their left arm was strangely encased in some kind of metal case while thick bandages covered the hand. The two left not a single patch of skin exposed, but it would've allowed complete movement of the arm and hand, could the child move it. They were in a coma, while a Gengar continually used Dream Eater, going far deeper than what would normally happen in a battle. The spirt's trainer was just outside the room with another man, both wearing cloaks and hood that resembled the Pitch Black pokemon, Darkrai. 

"Alright, Gengar is doing its thing," one of them said, voice raspy from a combination of fear and sleep deprivation. "The prisoner's memories should be completely gone within the hour."

Before the other could respond, a woman walked up to them. Her hair was a ghastly white and her skin was equally pale. Her flowing black dress was decorated with blood red ribbons, giving her an appearance far more Pokemon that human.

"Well? How is our youngest prisoner fairing?" she asked in a cold, demanding tone.

The two men straightened their posture. "According to the computer, Miss Persephone, their memories should be completely gone very soon," one of them answered. "Everything is going as planned." 

Persephone's mouth twisted into a sadistic grin as she turned to face the door to the cell. "Excellent. Finally, we'll have fulfilled our end of the deal." She turned back to face the two men. "Good work, you two. The ritual will begin in the upstairs room soon. Will you be attending?" 

"Of course, Miss. We would never miss a sacrifice," said one, sounding mildly excited. 

"Very well." She began to walk away when one of the men stopped her.

"Wait, Miss. I have a question." Persephone tilted her head back towards him, not bothering to fully face him. "With the pervious procedure done and now the wiping of their memories, what are you planning to do with them afterward?"

Persephone gave him smug smirk. "Why, kill them, of course." She turned back to walk away. "I expect you both upstairs within the next few minutes." She disappeared down the hallway.

Once she was out of earshot, of the men spoke up. "What's the point of doing all of this if we're just going to kill them?"

The other shrugged. "Don't know, but thanks for not asking that _in front of her._ You know she hates to be questioned. We should go upstairs now. It's always fun to see a sacrifice preformed."

With that, the two walked off, leaving the child alone with the Gengar. The spirit continued to feed off the memories of the child, reaching for the last fragments, until...

_"Mew!"_

The cry startled the Gengar. She looked around the room, looking for the source of the sound. That's when the New Species Pokemon decided to make their appearance. They dropped their invisibility mere inches in front of the spirit, who fled the room in fear of the mythical Pokemon, leaving the door open. Once the Gengar was gone, Mew quickly undid the restraints on the child, who jotted awake from Mew dragging them up. 

While the child pressed the palm of their hand to their head to quell the sudden headache, they heard a familiar voice. 

_Sel, now's your chance. Escape and never look back._

Sel looked at the small, feline Pokemon hovering in front of them. They opened their mouth to speak.

But no sound came out. 

They tried again, but still nothing. No matter how hard they tried, their throat refused to make a sound. 

Mew looked at them with concern. Their lifted one of their paws up to their throat, giving Sel a look to copy the action. They did and immediately froze as they brushed against their neck. There was a line of skin that felt different; more raw and sensitive. Sel franticly looked around the room for a reflective surface. Their eyes landed on the window and they rushed towards it to inspect their reflection. 

Along the front of their neck was a wide, fresh scar. Sel carefully traced it with their right hand, the skin still weakly stinging. Whatever did this, it happened recently. They turned back to Mew, hoping for answers. But the Pokemon merely shook their head.

Sel released a stuttering breath while they stared down at their hands; the right completely normal while the left bound in metal and bandages. They clenched both hands into fists as they ran through everything they knew.

_1\. My name is Sel_

_2\. I have to keep my left arm wrapped up_

_3\. A Gengar was wiping my memories_

_4\. Mew is here to help me_

The list was short, but Sel knew it was important to keep the tiny fragments they had left. They looked back at Mew, their resolve growing. They needed to escape. They made their way to the hallway, motioning for Mew to follow. The two quietly ventured down the gloomy corridor until them came upon a room with a few bookshelves. Knowing their memories were nearly completely erased, Sel decided that it was a good idea to gleam through a few books. Maybe they could figure out where they were, or who was holding them captive. 

One book caught their eye: _Cults of the Torren Region._

Skimming through the contents, they learned that their were 5 cults that were currently active; The Cult of Darkrai, The Abyssal Cult, The Infernal Cult, The Sky Cult, and the Cult of Perfection. Looking at the other books on the selves, Sel noticed that they were all about dreams and the mind. 

_This must be a Cult of Darkrai base,_ they thought to themselves. 

Sel and Mew continued their way through the base. Eventually, the two found a door with a finger-print lock. 

Before Sel could even growl in frustration, they heard a voice in their head that wasn't their own. 

_I can help with this._

Sel looked up to the only other living thing there; Mew

 _Telepathy,_ Sel thought in awe.

_Yes. I can help. I can use Transform to change your body to someone else. Someone who can use the lock. I just need some DNA to do it._

Sel looked around the hallway and noticed an open stair case that lead away from the locked door. _Maybe we can find something there,_ thought Sel as they began climbing up the steps.

At the top of the flight was a large room, but most of the floor was covered in a noxious smelling green sludge. At the far end of the room was an alter with two gilded states of Darkrai. As Sel and Mew got closer, they both notice a subtle, metallic scent mixed with the repulsive stench of the sludge. At the top of the alter was a strange circle, carved into the floor and glossed over. On it was a dark red stain. Sel kneeled down to to inspect it. Running their uncovered hand over it, a bit of the substance flaked off and the subtle metallic scent grew ever so slightly stronger.

It was dried blood.

The realization made Sel recoil and Mew float closer to the human. The implication weren't good; Blood on an alter in a base led by a cult. Someone died here. It took a few moments for them to recover from the initial shock. 

Once Sel reigned some composure, a thought entered their mind. It was unsettling, but given the options...

 _Mew, can your Transform ability work with this?_ they thought loudly, hoping Mew could still hear them.

Mew seemed to mull over the thought. _...Yes, it can._

The tiny Pokemon drifted towards the spot of blood and used Psychic to lift up a small piece of it. Mew closed their eyes and the speck transitioned into a dimly glowing red mist. Mew waved their paws towards Sel and the mist followed, slowly surrounding them.

The sensation of transforming was disturbing. It felt as if their skin was being peeled away and replaced by someone else's. (They had to kept themselves from remembering that it was a _dead man's skin_ ).

A soft purr made Sel open their eyes, not realizing that they've been closed, and look down at they new form. Their black jumpsuit had changed along with the rest of them. They now wore a long black robe with a white hood and red accents around the neck. They held up their hands, now both uncovered. The skin was calloused and pale. 

Mew's purring drew Sel's attention back to the Pokemon. Said Pokemon then proceeded to worm their way into Sel's new hood. They didn't complain. No good could come from any of the cultist seeing Mew. 

The two, now disguised, handed back to the locked door. Sel hesitated. They closed their eyes and silently placed their thumb on the scanner. The door slid open without a hitch. They let out a relived sigh and continued down the hall. It wasn't long before they found their way to a split in the pathways. Choosing to go the left route first, they found a room filled with tables and other small items like heals, potions, and repeals. Sel pocketed a few of them, just in case. Going further down, they encountered a room they with they didn't.

The room was filled with dozens of cultists and had an alter similar to the one they found before. On that alter was a poor cultist chained down to the circle. Standing in front of him was a women with bone white hair and a flowing black and red dress. 

Her voice was filled with manic glee. "We are ready to begin."

The chained man cried out. "Please, Miss Persephone!" Sel filed away the name. "I've been a loyal follower for many years! I don't want to die!"

Persephone's smile turned sadistic. "When you joined, you vowed to give your life for our cause. How it this any different? Activate the ritual circle."

Two cultists off to the side worked at a few computers and the ritual circle shifted from green to red. 

Persephone cried out. "Darkrai, Lord of Darkness! I call upon you to enter our world! I give to you the soul of this loyal servant to be bound to your realm of nightmares forever as exchange! _Voco Virtutem Umbrarum_ _Dominum!_ "

As the last words were spoken, the grew darker. The light around the chained man seemed to vanish entirely, as Sel could only make out a swirling black mass where he once was. 

A gasping cry rang out for that spot, loudly echoing in the room. Mew squirmed more closely to Sel's neck. Sel felt like the gesture was meant to calm them down, not Mew. It did help with their rising heart rate. Soon, the black mist dissipated from the alter and in the place of the man, was Darkrai.

Persephone gave a toothy grin. "Darkrai, Lord of Nightmares." The Pokemon glared at her. "You are the great balancer of the world. You punish the great and slay the immortal. It's been a year seen we last saw each other." Drakrai seemed to tense at the comment. "Remember what happened? We accomplished something incredible that day. But you fled soon after. I thought you had accepted our offer back then. So I ask you now. Why will you not join the cult that has worshipped you for so long?" Darkrai's scowl only deepened. "I know my sister has seen you time and time again. Why is she favored over me? I beseech you, Darkrai. Please join us. With your power and my guidance, this world could be ours!"

Darkrai remained silent. A hallow growl echoed through the room. After that, the remaining black mist faded away, along with Darkrai.

"... Well isn't that just _lovely_ ," growled out Persephone. "It must have gone off to Selene City to see that rotten sister of mine. What a waste of a grunt."

She stormed her way off the alter when she was stopped by two other cultists. "What do you two want?" she spat.

"Miss, please give us another chance," one begged.

The other chimed in. "If we tried again, we can trap-"

"Enough," Persephone grunted out. "Out of my way." She pulled out a pokeball and released a Houndoom. "Fire Blast." The Pokemon complied and in an instant, the two men were incinerated, fast enough that their screams were only heard for a second. "I'm going to check on the prisoner. No one follow me." With that she left the room and Sel was able to breath again.

Sel, with Mew still tucked in their hood, bolted back down the hallway, taking the route they didn't before. At the end was a staircase and doorway with two Darkrai statues on each side.

 _This has to be the way out,_ they thought.

They raced up the stairs and burst through the door.


End file.
